AI Decision-Making and Optimization

  • Overview
  • Course Content
  • Requirements & Materials
Overview

AI Decision-Making and Optimization

Course Description

Optimization is an important artificial intelligence tool for decision-making and decision support. This AI training course teaches basic concepts, models, and algorithms that are used on their own in many business and industry settings, as well as within most modern AI algorithms. By blending optimization theory and computation with various applications in modern data analytics, participants will learn how to put this knowledge into practice, including a software implementation of optimization models.

Course Content

The Basics of Optimization

  • Elements of optimization models, classification of models
  • Functions, sets, convexity
  • Outcomes of optimization, optimality certificates, underlying geometry

Types of Optimization Models

  • Unconstrained, linear, network, and nonlinear optimization
  • Discrete optimization
  • Optimization under uncertainty, stochastic optimization, robust optimization
  • Large-scale optimization

Optimization Algorithms

  • Simplex, network algorithms, duality
  • Two-stage algorithms, piecewise approaches
  • Column generation, decomposition, cutting planes, branch-and-bound, heuristics
  • Convex conic programming

Potpourri of Applications of Optimization

  • Finance/investment
  • Power generation and markets
  • Radiation therapy
  • Pricing
Requirements & Materials

Prerequisites

REQUIRED:

  • Experience with linear algebra, multivariate calculus, basic probability, and Python programming

Materials

REQUIRED (Student must provide):

  • Internet connection
  • Free software (download and install before taking the course)
    • PuLP optimization software (see www.coin-or.org/PuLP)
    • CVX in Python: CVXOPT, CVXPY software (see cvxopt.org and cvxpy.org)
    • CVX in Matlab: CVX software (see cvxr.com/cvx)
    • Python programming language (see www.python.org); preferably use the Anaconda distribution (see www.anaconda.com)
    • Adobe Acrobat PDF reader (see get.adobe.com/reader/)
    • Honorlock proctoring software (see honorlock.com/)
  • Laptop or desktop computer (not a tablet)

SUGGESTED:

  • Reference books (Not required)
    • R. Rardin. Optimization in Operations Research. Prentice Hall, 1998.
    • S. Boyd and L. Vandenberghe. Convex Optimization. Cambridge University Press, 2004. (Available online at web.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook.)
    • A. Ben-Tal and A. Nemirovski. Lectures on Modern Convex Optimization. SIAM, 2001.

PROVIDED (Student will receive):

  • All course lessons, assignments, and solutions

Who Should Attend

This course is recommended anyone who wants to use optimization as an AI tool for making decisions, suggesting solutions, or determining the best course of action. It is ideal for professionals interested in understanding both the theory and the application of optimization.

Computer science students coding on computers

What You Will Learn

  • Modeling skills for formulating questions/problems as linear, convex nonlinear, and integer optimization problems
  • Basic optimization theory including duality and convexity, to gain a deeper understanding of not only how to formulate an optimization model but also why
  • Fundamental algorithmic schemes for solving linear, nonlinear, and integer optimization problems
  • Computational skills for implementing and solving optimization problems using modern optimization modeling languages and solvers
Female professional in computer science lab looking at tablet

How You Will Benefit

  • Understand when optimization is an appropriate AI tool.
  • Learn how to select the optimization model that best fits the decision-making process and situation.
  • Build a correct optimization model for the situation at hand.
  • Apply the underlying theory to understand how to use the model and its solution output to make decision recommendations.
  • Leverage optimization software and advanced algorithmic techniques to solve very large and difficult optimization problems.
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    Taught by Experts in the Field

TRAIN AT YOUR LOCATION

We enable employers to provide specialized, on-location training on their own timetables. Our world-renowned experts can create unique content that meets your employees' specific needs. We also have the ability to deliver courses via web conferencing or on-demand online videos. For 15 or more students, it is more cost-effective for us to come to you.

  • Save Money
  • Flexible Schedule
  • Group Training
  • Customize Content
  • On-Site Training
  • Earn a Certificate
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